Los Padres Crews Using Backfires to Contain Wildfire

SANTA YNEZ, Calif. — Using backfires to head off an untamed wildfire, crews labored late Sunday to contain the eight-day-old blaze in Los Padres National Forest.

Nearly 3,200 firefighters had surrounded almost all of the 40,000 -acre wildfire, and full containment was expected by Tuesday evening, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Larry Hornberger said.

The fire, which started Sept. 25 from a hunter’s cigarette, could be under control by Friday night, officials said. Firefighters entered singer Michael Jackson’s 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch near Los Olivos on Sunday and set backfires near its eastern boundary to starve a westward-moving spot fire that had charred 4,500 acres. Little said the effort worked and winds were shifting, halting the flames’ advance.